Mealworm Setup

[Ringo]

I just setup a mealworm colony to feed my leopard gecko. I just wanted you all to take a look at it to make sure it looks ok. I bought some chicken feed to use as substrate. I quartered an apple for moisture. My biggest concern is the fact that they have been in there for about 30 minutes and they are not moving at all hardly. I added 140 to get me started. I bought all the mealworms the pet store had. The chicken feed is alot chunkier than I thought it would be so I wonder if they will have a hard time eating it. Anyway here are some pics please let me know what you think. Thanks.

[Jay_Bunny]

Looks alright to me, but I personally don't use chicken feed. I use a mix of oatmeal, corn flakes, bran flakes, left over bearded dragon food pellets, flake fish food, and left over uncooked veggies.

[Shelby]

Just make sure the chicken feed is non-medicated. Don't want chemicals in your mealies.

Mine ate bran mostly..

[Ringo]

Its definitely not medicated. That was the first question I asked. Im just not sure how I am going to sift through it. I thought about using a collander ( not sure of spelling) but I am affraid that the holes will be too big and the mealworms will fall through. I tried using a flour sifter but those holes are too small. Any suggestions on how I can separate the mealies from the feed?

[ADEE]

The idea is good.. I personally use whole oats and raw carrots..

[Shelby]

Well, when I was using the bran as food, the mealies would break it down into little pieces as they ate it, so I could use a wire strainer to separate them from the food.

[no pants man]

How hard is it to keep a mealworm setup? I'd like to produce my own for feeders. Could I keep them in like a plastic shoe box? Any basic information to get me started is appreciated!

[Shelby]

Mealworms are easy.. a shoebox would be fine. Some people have several tubs and keep the beetles in one and grubs in another.. I found that to take too much time so I kept them in one container, worked fine.

There's some feed ideas in this thread already.. I just put an inch or two of the chicken feed or bran in there.. and they can get water from fruit or vegetables. Once the grubs metamorphose into beetles, the beetles breed and lay eggs.. the baby mealies hatch out soon after, but they are very small. Takes a couple months for them to grow to full size.

[tncorns]

How long would you say the full process takes from bringing home mealworms until you have offspring big enuf to feed. I just started a colony of lobester roaches and already begining to get a smell from them. Does meal worms create a odor after a week or two also. And does the bettles fly or able to climb up slick surfaces..

[Shelby]

It takes a couple of months for the whole life cycle to complete.

They don't smell as long as you don't let their moisture source go moldy. The beetles do have wings, but they don't fly out of the tubs.. and they aren't very good climbers either.